My cat has patchy hair loss on its tail, was 2-3 spots now many, some bald, painful to touch

Hello. Because the cat’s skin problem has lasted a long time and the affected area has developed pigmentation, it is hard to confirm whether it is ringworm. You can buy a Wood’s lamp to check; if the area shows a lot of green fluorescence under the light, it indicates a fungal infection.

Of course, a fungal infection does not rule out mixed bacterial infection, so a skin scraping at the vet is best. In addition, if it is a male cat with tail hair loss that feels oily, it may be folliculitis, also called stud tail. If a hospital visit is inconvenient, shave the area, rinse with saline, then spray some antibacterial skin spray and terbinafine hydrochloride spray and observe.

Also, put an Elizabethan collar on the cat to prevent licking, and supplement vitamin B, fish oil, and lecithin. Finally, clean and disinfect the environment to reduce bacterial infection.